Monday, September 21, 2009

About the New York Times

When I was growing up in New York City, The New York Times was seen as a great newspaper. Nowadays, The Times is a favorite whipping boy for the conservative punditry. Mark Levin calls it the "Slimes". Michael Savage regularly rags on its administration. It is a liberal newspaper, not just in terms of the editorial pages, but in its decisions on what to report and what not to report. For example, my mother, who consumes every news source except the Fox News Network, had never heard of ACORN when I asked her about it back in May. The paper's recent reporting (or lack there of) on the problems surrounding Van Jones and ACORN is terrible.

However...The New York Times can still be part of a balanced news diet, even for a conservative. First, it is probably one of the widest ranging news sources, with a lot of interesting reporting on many subjects. It used to do more of this, and be stronger in coverage abroad, but it has had to cut back on the number of reporters it has. It reports from one of the largest and most cosmopolitan metro areas in the world. It still has considerable influence on the overall news gathering in our country. So I read the New York Times. I know what I am reading when I read it, and I don't read it with a blind eye. I read it and lots of other things too. (That's why I know what ACORN is, and why Van Jones quit his czar post.)

So, here is something slightly silly and fun, and thought provoking from the New York Times. Right wing talk show hosts and rap artists? Enjoy.

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